Ironing machine



D. 29, 1942. J. GORDON IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 3, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l l .l n 1 Dec). 29, 1942. .J. GORDON y 2,306,536

IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 3, 1940 Z Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. Z9,v 1942. -LGQRDON IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 3, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet. 3

Patented Dec. 29, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IRONING MACHINE James Gordon, Chicago, lll.

Application August 3, 1940, Serial No. 350,198

7 Claims.

The ironing machine of the present invention is designed with a viewof simplifying the construction as compared with ironing machines of the standard type now on the market, and with this end in view, mechanism of the type ordinarily employed for the purpose of moving the shoe toward and from the roll has been eliminated, so that during normal operations the shoe maintains constant pressure contact with the roll, which during the ironing operation is motor driven in a forward feeding direction, with provision, however, for reversing the motor drive temporarily in the event it becomes necessary to retract the article being ironed, so that the release of the article will be occasioned by the back feeding of the roll rather than by manual withdrawal as in the case of machines of standard type with which I am familiar.

The invention is further directed to the general structure of the machine and the means f provided for mounting the operating parts in such a way as to adequately support the overhanging roll from the housing, leaving the outer end of the roll free from support, which is desirable in order to avoid unnecessary obstruction in the manipulation of the material being ironed. v

The invention further relates to the general construction of the frame or housing portions of the machine with a view to the avoidance of the use of heavy castings or the like for the purpose of securing the necessary strength and rigidity Without excessive weight, which is of primary importance in a device of this character intended for household use, and which must be easily portable as occasion may require,

'I'he machine as a whole is mounted upon a base or platform, which vmay be supported upon a table top or the like, so that there is no necessity ior housing the machine within a cabinet, although the machine may be so mounted if desired.

Further objects and details will appear from the description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a top or plan view of the machine as a whole;

Fig. 2 is an elevation mainly in section, with the roll and shoe partly broken away to reveal the mounting for the shoe;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a diagram of the wiring arrangement for energizing the motor and heating coil;

anism for controlling the forward and reverse movements of the motor; and

Fig. 6 is a view of a portion of the switch mechanism taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

. 'Ihe machine as a whole is mounted upon a roectangular base board I0 provided with feet II of rubber or the like, which enables the ma.- chine to be mounted upon a table top or other convenient support. 'I'he base board near its right hand end (Fig. 1) affords a mounting for a base frame I2, which as shown is of circular formation around its lower edge I3 and of generally conical formation above, with circumferential bulges or protuberances to afford the necessary space for the housing of certain of the operating parts and togive to the structure an attractive appearance.

'Ihe upper portion of the base frame I2 terminates in outwardly aring marginal flanges I4 at the front and back of the walls of the base frame, which thus aord a cradle for the mounting of a drum shaped gear box I5, the cylindrical walls of which t snugly within the cradle aorded by the base frame and may be secured thereto by spot welding or other convenient method of attachment. The inner face I6 of the gear box is oiset to afford an inwardly projecting tapered extension Il which terminates in an inturned flange I8 which assists in supporting the roll I9 in a manner presently to be described.

The inner face wall I6 of the gear box furnishes a support for the rim of a circular bridge plate 20 having a central aperture dened by a rearwardly extending flange 2 I. The rim of the bridge plate may be secured to the wall I6 by spot welding or other convenient means of attachment.

The outer margin 22 of the drum shaped gear box is offset to receive the inner rim of a drum shaped motor casing 23 which extends outwardly from the gear box to a considerable degree and servesto house a motor 24, the weight of which tends to a considerable degree to counterbalance the weight of the roll I9, so that the entire operating structure may be conveniently supported upon the cradle afforded by the base frame without additional means for supporting either the roll or the motor.

In order to hold the operating assembly firmly in position, a cylindrical strap or girdle 25 is provided which encircles the gear box and the edge of the motor housing, which latter is secured to the gear box by screws 26. The arrangement is one which permits the entire operating assembly to be slipped rearwardly within the Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the switch mech- 55 girdle 25 Which thus permits the 11101391 hOUSnE to be readily removed in order to secure access to the interior of the structure.

The inner end of the motor housing is closed by means of a circular cross wall 2'l provided with a boss 28 which mounts a stub shaft 29 upon which is keyed a transmission spur gear 3l) in mesh with a pinion 3| keyed to the motor shaft 32.

The inner circular flange 2| of the bridge plate 20 in conjunction with the flange I8 on the extension ll afford a mounting for the inner end of a sleeve 33 which extends outwardly for substantially the full length of the ironing roll I9 and constitutes the sole means o support for the roll, which overhangs the base board of the machine. The sleeve 33 is non-rotatable, but affords a mounting for the rotation of the roll i9 which is provided with inner and outer end Walls 34 and 35, both of which are provided with inturned flanges 36 carrying bushings 31 which rotate upon the sleeve as a bearing surface.

The roll is actuated by the rotation of a shaft 38 which is housed within the sleeve 33 and ter minates in a reduced threaded stub 39 entered through a cap plate 40 which is spot welded or otherwise secured to the end wall 35 which is clamped to the edge of the shaft 3B by a nut 4l. Thus the rotation of the shaft 38 imparts rotation to the roll journalled upon the rigid sleeve 33, which in turn is iirmly anchored at its inner end within the frame of the machine.

The stub shaft 29 has keyed thereon a pinion 42 which meshes with an internal gear 43 mounted within the flanged rim of a hub plate 44 which mounts a stub shaft 45 carrying a freely mounted orbital pinion 46. The pinion is in mesh with two gears, a fixedly positioned gear fl'i rigidly mounted upon the inner end of the fixed sleeve 33, and a movable gear 43 keyed to the shaft 38. One of the two gears has one more tooth than the other, so that with each revolution of the orbital pinion iii the roll shaft will be advanced one tooth.

The arrangement heretofore described constitutes a reduction gear train which includes the motor shaft pinion 3 I, the intermediate t1-ansrnission gear 30, and hub plate 44, and through the planetary gear 46 and movable gear ri to the roll shaft. Although the above described reduction gear arrangement affords a satisfactory means for driving the ironing roll, it will. be

understood that it serves merely lfor purposes illustration of an operative assembly and that any other convenient or satisfactory arrangement may be employed in lieu thereof.

The shoe 49 is of the usual arcuate formation and extends from end to end of the roll and en closes a heating element Siti (Fig. f5.) ci su able character. The shoe normally intains constant spring pressure contact with -ie roll,

although provision is made ior the manual release of the shoe as occasion may reduire.

provided with rearwardly extending c, embrace the inner end of a pressure head which the ears are pivoteri upon a pintle pressure head is provided with an u tending lever arm titl terminating knob 55. The pressure head is pivote-d upon a pintle 56 entered through the upper side walls 5'! of a channel mounting 5&3 which is pivcted near its center upon a pivot pin ,re/.i

through the side walls oi" a standard mi whirl,

springs upwardly from thc base plate The lower end of the mounting titi is hei/eind as at 6|, and bears against the upper ond el' a lever plate 62 pivoted at its lower end upon a pivot 63.

The shoe is A spring 64 serves to exert an outward thrust against the lever plate which in turn tends to lforce the lower end of the channel mounting outwardly, which thus imparts an inward thrust to the upper end of the channel mounting and the pressure head and shoe carried thereby. When the shoe is in compressed relation with the roll, the center of the pivot 53 lies slightly below the center line of operation between the roll and the pivot 56, so that in order to release the shoe, sufcient manual pressure must be exerted to move the parts beyond the dead center line, after which the shoe may be swung outwardly to the limit of its movement.

A reversing motor is employed,- which is wired in conformity with the diagram shown in Fig. 4, with a view of operating in the following manner: With the operating switch thrown to the first position, the' motor will be energized in a forward direction and the ironing roll will advance to feed the material under the pressure of the shoe until such time as the operator may desire to reverse the feeding movement in order to feed back the material in cases where cramping or binding may occur, or a readjustment of the material becomes necessary to avoid Wrinkling or the like. In such event the operator moves the switch to the second position, which reverses the current ow through the motor, with provision, however, for automatically stopping the reverse movement after fractional reverse rotation of the ironing roll has occurred. This serves to release the material and automatically stop the machine until the material has been readjusted in position to continue the normal operation. For this purpose the` switch mechanism shown in Figs. 5 and 6 may be emi is journalled within a bracket 46E! upstanding from the base or' the machine. The bracket carries an insulating block 'iD which mounts the Contacts 'll in circuit with the line wires 'i3 and 'i4 respectively. The block 1U also mounts contacts and and 18. The contacts 'i5 and 76 are circuit through wires 'i9 and 8D with the heating element titl, and also in circuit through Wires til and 32 with the motor 24. The contacts "il and 'iii are in circuit through wires 83 and 84 respectively with the circuit wires 'i9 and 80.

The shaft is entered through the insulating block it which is recessed to receive the reduced end ot a movable insulating block 85 which is freely mounted upon the shaft 65 and .carries brush contacts B5 and 8l adapted to bridge over the spaces between two adjacent fixed contacts. The movable insulating block B5 on its outer face carries a disk 83 provided on its periphery with three elevations 139 each of which terminates in abrupt forward edge Bil adapted to be contacted by the upper end of a spring stop 9i.

The chai-t fie also has rigidly mounted thereon a lever the upper end of which carries a pawl ttl ader :d to engage notches 94 in the edge of a dist carried by a hub 96 freely mounted upon the shaft. The lower end of the lever 92 is con nested by a pin and slot connection with the plunger itl' of a dash pot 98 for retarding the return of the lever in a manner presently to be described.

The lever 92 at a point adjacent the stop 9| is provided with a hump 99 which is adapted to abut against the stop, and the return of the lever is eiected through the tension of a Spring |80. The notched disk 95 is connected with the disk 88 through the medium of a coil spring ||l|, the ends of which are entered into the respective parts, and in order to prevent backward movement of the rotating parts, a ratchet |92 coacting with a dog |03 is provided.

In order to insure thec ompletion of movements initiated by the operating handle 68, the disk 04 is rigidly mounted upon the shaft 65 and provided with a row of teeth |05, which terminates at each end in a clearance space |08. The teethv coact with a spring backed dog |01 so disposed that, after the first tooth of the series has passed the dog, it will be impossible to reverse the movement until the terminal clearance space is reached, which permits reversal of the position of the dog.

Operation Zin operation, with the brush contacts 88 and 8l occupying the dotted line position indicated by A in. the diagram, the circuit will be broken and the motor deenergized. If the operating handle be swung sufliciently to bring the brush contacts into the rst operating position indicated by B, the contacts 1| and 1B, and also 12 and 11, will be bridged, and a forwardly energizing current will fiow from the line wire 14 through the contacts 12, 81 and 11, and wires 83, 19 and 8| to the motor, and thence through the wires 82, 88 and 84, contacts 18, 81 and-1|, to the line wire 13. The ironing roll will thus be rotated in a forward direction.

The movement imparted to the shaft 55 by the handle 63 serves to rotate the lever 92 carrying the dog 98, which latter engages one of the notches in the disk 95, but as soon as the lever arm 92 begins to rotate, its lower end is retracted away from the spring stop 9|, so that the upper end of the latter moves into position to engage the abrupt end 90 of the stop elevation 89, which exhausts the movement imparted by the handle which, when released, will restore to its normal position, the movement, however, being retarded by the,action of the dash pot. However, after the lrst handle movement, the parts will remain in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 6 and with the contacts in the position B previously described, and with the motor operating to forwardly rotate the ironing roll.

If in these circumstances it becomes necessary to suddenly reverse the movement to prevent congestion of the material, or for any other reason, a second movement of the handle will carry the contacts to the reversing position C irr the diagram. As the handle starts its movement, the disk 88 will'begin to advancefrom the dotted line position shown in Fig. 6, and concurrently the lower end of the lever 92 will be retracted to release the spring stop 9|, which, however, will ride upon the edge of the advancing elevation 89, so as to permit the disk 88 to advance to the reversing position C, but before this position is reached, vthe spring stop will snap inwardly into position to encounter the next step and thus arrest the stop disk 88 and the movable insulating block 85 with its contacts, while a continued movement of the'handle will impart further rotation to the notched disk 95, so that tension will be stored up in the spring during the terminal movement of the handle.

After the handle has been released, the lever arm 92, under the tension of the spring |00, will begin to move back at a retarded rate and during the intended time interval provided by the dash pot, with the result that the contacts will maintain the reversing position for a timed interval and until the lever bar 92 restores suciently to kick back .the-spring stop 9|, which will release the disk 88 and allow the same with the contacts to snap back to the original off position A in the diagram.

During the reversing position C, the current will flow through the line wire 14, xed contact 12, movable contact 81, fixed contact 16, Wires 88 and 82, to the motor, and thence through wires 8| and 19, fixed contact 15, movable contact 81, fixed contact 1|, to the line wire 13. After the conclusion of the reversing movement, the movable contacts will assume the position indicated by A, and the motor will be deenergized in prepa ration for a further handle movement to start the motor in the advance feeding direction.

rlfhe arrangement of the rotating switch elements is one which is permitted in one direction only, so that there can be no possibility of maladjustment during the operation of the machine. To stop the motor, therefore, it is merely necessary to throw the handle to the reversing position, which will momentarily reverse the rotation of the roll and automatically bring the machine to a stop after the time interval has been exhausted. The reverse movement, therefore, is one of sumcient amplitude to feed back the material to the necessary extent to permit the operator, with the roll at rest, to make necessary readjustments, and thereafter, by moving the handle, the machine will be started. It is unnecessary for the operator to pay any attention to the stopping of the reverse movement, which occurs automatically.

The invention as a whole differs radically from ironing machines of the conventional type, in that it positively feeds back the material when conditions require, and therefore does not necessitate any release of the shoe pressure against the roll, which remains constant at all times save in case of emergency in which a manual reversing is permitted by the operation of the handle 54.

The general structure of the machine is one which permits the frame to be constructed of plate metal by stamping or spinning, and com- Y ,pletely avoids the use of castings, so that full strength and rigidity will be insured with a minimum of weight, and by eliminating all power driven mechanism for operating the shoe, the mechanical structure of the machine is greatly simplified and the cost reduced to a minimum.

Although the general structure of the machine and the arrangement of all of the operating parts have been described in full detail, it will be understood that the arrangement shown serves merely for purposes of illustration and that numerous changes in detail can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

l. In an ironing machine, the combination ol' an ironing roll, a reversing motor and connections between the roll and the motor for imparting forward or reverse rotation. to the roll, a shoe adapted to maintain pressure against the roll during both forward and reverse feeding movements, and a switch mechanism and electrical connections adapted when the switch is moved to one position to constantly energize the motor for movement in a forward feeding direction and when moved to a second position to energize the motor in the reverse feeding direction, and automatic means for actuating the switch to move the same to open circuit position after a limited period of reverse motor movement.

2. In an ironing machine, the combination of a supporting member, a housing balanced upon said supporting member, a motor and motor casing rigidly connected with said housing and projecting rearwardly from the point of support therefor, the housing being provided with an extension inwardly projecting to a substantial degree beyond the point of support for the housing, a fixed supporting sleeve having its rear end entered into and supported by the housing and additionally supported at its intermediate point by the extension therefrom and inwardly projecting from said intermediate point of Support and otherwise unsupported, an ironing roll journalled upon the inwardly projecting portion of the sleeve, an operating shaft extending through the sleeve and connected at its outer end to the roll for rotating the same, the mechanisms extending inwardly from the supporting member being counterbalanced by the motor and motor casing, a shoe adapted to contact the roll, and driving connections located within the housing and adapted to transmit power from the motor to the shaft.

3. In an ironing machine, the combination of a supporting member, a housing balanced upon said supporting member, a motor and motor casing rigidly connected with said housing andV projecting rearwardly from the point of support therefor, the housing being provided with an extension inwardly projecting to a substantial degree beyond the point of support for the housing, a fixed supporting sleeve having its rear end entered into and supported by the housing and additionallysupported at anintermediate point by the extension therefrom and inwardly projecting from said intermediate point of support and otherwise unsupported, an ironing roll journalled upon the inwardly projecting portion of the sleeve, an operating shaft extending through the sleeve and connected at its outer end to the roll for rotating the same, the mechanisms extending inwardly from the supporting member being' counterbalanced by the motor and motor casing, a shoe normally having constant contact with the roll, driving connections located within the housing and adapted to transmit power from the motor to the shaft, and switch mechanism and electrical connections for energizing the motor to operate either in the forward or reverse direc tion.

4. In an ironing machine, the combination of a supporting member, a housing balanced upon said supporting member, a motor and motor casing connected with said housing and projecting rearu wardly from the point of support therefor, the housing being provided with an extension inn wardly projecting to a substantial degree beyond the point of support for the housing, a supporting sleeve entered into and supported at its end by the housing and additionally supported by the extension therefrom, an ironing roll journalled upon the sleeve, an operating shaft extending through the sleeve and connected at its outer end to the roll for rotating the same, a shoe adapted to contact the roll, driving connections located within the housing and adapted to transmit power from the motor to the shaft, a switch mechanism and electrical connections adapted when the switch is moved to one position to constantly energize the motor for movement in a forward feeding direction and when moved to a second position to energize the motor in the reverse feeding direction, and automatic means for actuating the switch to move the same to open circuit position after a limited period of reverse motor movement.

5. In an ironing machine, the combination of an elongated base member, a base frame fixedly mounted thereon and extending upwardly therefrom and configured at its upper end to provide a cradle, a housing mounted within said cradle and provided on its side wall with an extension projecting inwardly beyond the point of support afforded by the cradle, the housing being provided on its interior with a bridge plate, a fixed sleeve outwardly extending from the housingand supported at its inner end within the bridge plate and supported at an intermediate point by the extension, an ironing roll journalled upon the sleeve and overhanging the base member, a roll shaft extending through the sleeve and connected at its outer end with the ironing roll, a motor casing xedly secured to and supported by the housing and extending outwardly therefrom beyond the cradle on the side opposite to the roll, a motor within the casing serving in part to counterbalance the weight of the roll, a reducing train located within the housing for imparting rotation from the motor to the roll shaft, and a shoe coacting with the roll.

6. In an ironing machine, the combination of an ironing roll, a reversing motor and connections for rotating the roll either in a forward or reverse direction, a shoe adapted normally to apply pressure to the roll when rotating in either direction, and a switch device and electrical connections with the motor, the switch device including means for closing the forward energizing circuit when moved to the first position, and adapted when moved from the first to the second position to close the reversely energizing circuit and to storeup power for thereafter moving the switch to open position, and trip means for releasing the switch from the second position oi' adjustment after the lapse of a predetermined period of time to permit the automatic movement of the switch to open position to stop the limited reverse rotation of the roll.

'7. In an ironing machine, the combination of a rotatable roll together with a shoe yieldingly associated therewith, reversible means in train with the roll for rotating the same in either forward or reverse direction, and adjustable control means and connections therefrom to the reversible power-applying means, the control means in one position of adjustment establishing and maintaining unlimited forward movement of the power-applying means with consequent forward movement of the roll, and the control means in another position of adjustment establishing and maintaining for a limited period only, a reverse movement of the power means with cessation of movement thereafter with consequent reverse movement of the roll and stopping thereafter.

JAMES GORDON. 

